Oliver Haddo
Oliver Haddo was an English occultist, ceremonial magician and writer, who was born in 1875 and allegedly died in 1947. Oliver Haddo was educated at Eton and left Oxford University in 1896, where he had been an intimate friend of Dr. Frank Hurrell. After studying medicine in Paris, Oliver eventually became disillusioned with the limitations of science, and became obsessed with the mastery of magic. His goal was to create life, using ancient and occult secrets. He began experimenting with magic in the castle Skene, his ancestral home, about three miles from the village of Venning in Staffordshire, England. Needing the life blood of a virgin to create life, in 1908 Haddo used supernatural means to seduce an art student named Margaret Dauncey. The two were married and Haddo took her back to his castle. There, Haddo murdered her to complete his experiments. Margaret's former fiance, Arthur Burdon and his mentor, Dr Porhoët, attempted to save Margaret, but fail. Arthur did, however, succeed in apparently killing Haddo. He narrowly escaped the fire at his Staffordshire estate, and was able to continue his studies in the occult. In 1910, Oliver Haddo came to the attentions of the League when their member, occult detective Thomas Carnacki had visions of Haddo convening to plot the creation of a Moonchild destined to bring forth the end of the world. Haddo encountered Orlando, Allan Quatermain and Carnacki when they stumbled into his circle of magicians. In response to Carnacki's accusations, Haddo pointed out to him and his colleagues that what Carnacki saw either is wrong, or has not happened yet. In fact, Carnacki inadvertently gave Haddo a crucial piece of information that they need to create the Moonchild. Oliver Haddo later contributed his service to the British government during World War II. During the post-war era, Haddo wrote the On the Descent of Gods based on his collective research on the history of the paranormal. Reportedly, Haddo died destitute in Hastings in 1947. However, Haddo's spirit lived on and possessed Kosmo Gallion, and from there created the Cult of Gallion to continue his plan for the Antichrist. In 1969, Haddo intends to transfer his spirit to the body of Terner, the leadsinger in the band Purple Orchestra. As Haddo prepares his ritual, he is confronted by Mina Murray on the astral plane, Haddo overpowers Mina, though he reveals that his possession of Terner will not effect his planned birth of the Antichrist. Unfortunately, the plan gone awry as Gallion was killed by Jack Carter for the murder of Basil Fotherington-Thomas. Haddo was then forced to enter the body of Tom Riddle. As Tom Riddle, Haddo attended an "invisible college" devoted to teaching magic and subsequently becoming headmaster. Haddo soon founded the Antichrist, a student marked as a baby by Haddo with a distinctive scar who was subsequently manipulated into accepting his destiny through various adventures against an arch-nemesis portrayed by Haddo himself. The Antichrist came to learn the truth behind Haddo's manipulations and was driven mad, so he went into a rampage on the college and massacred its students and faculty. Haddo was decapitated by the Antichrist, who took his still-living head with him. Haddo's living head then spent the next decade in a cage in the Antichrist's house, while the Antichrist medicated himself with antipsychotic pills, and tried to put-off his eventual role in the Apocalypse. The Antichrist was eventually confronted by Mina Murray and Orlando. God, in the form of a woman named Mary, then intervened by turning Haddo's Antichrist into a chalk drawing, preventing the Apocalypse and saving mankind. Haddo's head was taken away by God/Mary Poppins, and never seen again. Haddo had blue eyes, a heavy face, large hands and smoked cigars. Haddo describes his family history thus: "In my origin I am more to be compared with Denis Zachaire or with Raymond Lully. My ancestor, George Haddo, came to Scotland in the suite of Anne of Denmark, and when James I, her consort, ascended the English throne, he was granted the estates in Staffordshire which I still possess. My family has formed alliances with the most noble blood of England, and the Merestons, the Parnabys, the Hollingtons, have been proud to give their daughters to my house." Haddo demonstrated his magic abilities in a number of ways. He could apparently command snakes by speaking to them in Arabic. He also proved that he was immune to the venom of one of the most poisonous snakes in the world and able to heal himself of minor wounds. Haddo seemed to be capable of appearing and disappearing in rooms as though he were able to teleport. He also had the ability to mesmerise people, and give them visions of hell. As an occult scientist, he also managed to create life, in the form of nightmarish semi-humanoid creatures in glass tubes. In addition to his knowledge of magic and medicine, Haddo was also a skilled hunter and marksman and could speak Arabic. Category:Pages Category:People Category:Stubs Category:Occultists